As 23 percent of the American population, white evangelicals are an important part of the American mainstream whose collective voice is growing louder both in politics and in culture. In many respects, white evangelicals look like other Americans. They live all over the country, they are found in cities and small towns alike, they have friends outside of their churches, and a majority have at least some college education. They share concerns with the rest of the country about the cost of healthcare and having a secure retirement. Yet white evangelicals share a set of strongly-held beliefs about the role of religion in daily life, and they incorporate a set of religious behaviors based on these beliefs into their daily lives. It is these beliefs and behaviors that set them apart religiously and politically from the rest of the country. This study places white evangelicals in comparative perspective with mainline Protestants, Catholics, African Americans, and Hispanics.

The data were collected through telephone interview surveys conducted by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research. Telephone numbers were generated by a random digit dial process, thereby allowing access to all listed and unlisted phones.

Sampling Procedures

The data include a base sample of 900, plus oversamples of 401 white evangelicals, 160 African Americans, and 149 Hispanics. The data include a weight for gender, age, race, region, and religion to ensure an accurate reflection of the population. The sample size with the weight applied is 900. The response rate for the base sample was 15 percent. The sample was stratified by state.

Principal Investigators

John Green, Professor, Department of Political Science, University of Akron